1954 Ford F-100 - Santa Express

As a small-business owner, Frank Fambrough was not a big fan of the holidays. Frank owned an auto parts store and high-end machine shop in Atlanta and Christmas only meant that his business slowed to a virtual stop. Finding the classic truck of his dreams under the tree had always topped Frank's wish list, but instead, reality brought employee bonuses, year-end inventory, accounting, endless paperwork, and taxes to pay.

Well, wishes can come true. Frank married Sue Anne and his holidays brightened when they retired to Punta Gorda, Florida, where together, they began to build the Santa Express.

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Long before Frank owned the 1954 Ford F-100, he was intimately familiar with its engine. He had worked on it twice for a customer who ultimately put the project on hold. Frank offered to purchase the truck sight unseen, but the owner just wasn't ready to sell.

Years later, Frank received a call. The owner was moving and if Frank still wanted the truck, he could have everything for $2,000. Since Frank had already been paid $1,500 for the previous engine work, he considered it a pretty sweet deal!

Frank stored the major components at his private machine shop in Punta Gorda. Then he and Sue Anne began the engine work in their home garage so they could conveniently work any day of the week, anytime day or night.

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The 351 Windsor was completely torn down again, bored 0.040 over and now boasts Roush FMS heads, a Holley 750-cfm Dual Line carburetor, SRP flat-top forged pistons, Total Seal rings, March Performance pulley system, and King main bearings all cooled by an aluminum Be Cool radiator.

Frank credits Sue Anne for assembling the engine. She also became an expert with the glass beader and completely finished the bed, including nine hand-sanded coats of polyurethane.

Frank built the chassis with full independent suspension, an Auburn E-Tech differential (with dash-mounted switchgear), four-link rear suspension, coilover shocks, and BFGoodrich radials at all four corners. The power gets to the rubber through a four-speed AOD Monster Tranny and disc brakes all around bring it back under control.

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The entire chassis is powdercoated satin black. Frank says, "Make no mistake. Santa Express is no trailer queen. I drive it and when it gets dirty, I just get under it and wash it."

When it came time to register the truck, Frank had no title—just a bill of sale. It took six months and a title search in all 50 states before it could be registered in Florida. Turns out it was originally a Georgia "farm truck" used to haul produce to farmers markets. It was considered a "tool" and the truck was never registered. So in an interesting twist, it turns out that the numbers on the frame and body match, the original ID plate is in the glovebox, and Frank is the first registered owner of this 59-year-old F-100!

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The body was really rough. It was home-sprayed yellow over the factory blue and the roof and hood looked like they had gone through a hailstorm (probably dented by all the corn thrown at the truck in the fields) so the chassis and body parts went to Classic Auto Restoration Specialists in North Ft. Myers (C.A.R.S.) for fabrication, assembly, paint and final finish work.

While it was there, Jeff Kozar from Amped Up created the one-of-a-kind interior. The seats were pulled from Sue Anne's 2001 Jaguar XJ8 and reupholstered to match the uniquely sculpted interior. Vintage Air A/C was installed and a myriad of tiny details incorporated. Even a vintage ashtray drawer that Frank located on the Internet became a dual cell phone charger.

The C.A.R.S. crew made sure that Frank and Sue Anne stayed involved and informed throughout, right up to the day of delivery. When Mike Case, owner of C.A.R.S., handed over the keys, he also presented the Fambroughs with an original painting of the Santa Express by automotive artist, Bill Kreutz.

So, after all this time, Frank Fambrough is finally enjoying the holidays and driving the custom classic truck of his dreams. In fact, he and Sue Anne are now affectionately known as Mr. and Mrs. Claus and they plan to use Santa Express to deliver toys and donations to help others enjoy the holiday season as well.